Newspaper-vending machine.



N0."s45,199. v PATENTED FEB. 26. 1907.

J. A. RULE.

NEWSPAPER VENDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED DEO.10, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Witnesses THE mamas PETERS co., WASHINGTON. n c.

PATENTED FEB. 26. 1907.

J. A. RULE.

NEWSPAPER VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEG.10, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEETZ.

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' flfl o'vmu THE NURRIS PETERS CO, WASHINGTON, D. C,

JOHN A. RULE, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

NEWSPAPER-VENDING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 26, 1907.

Application filed December 10,1906. Serial No. 347,165.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. RULE, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Cincinnati, county of Hamilton, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in News paper-Ven ding Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to a machine wherein there are compartments beneath which are swinging doors, which are held closed by latches which may be successively and automatically opened by a coin-operated arm, so as to release a newspaper from a compartment at each motion of the arm.

It is the object of my invention to provide a receptacle for the newspapers, which is provided with a means which may be readily adjusted for vending papers of varying thicknesses.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide a convenient lock for securing the newspaper-receptacle in the housing of the vending-machine. This object is attained by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is an end view of a newspaper-receptacle embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the receptacle, taken upon line 02 c of Fig. 3. Fig( 3 is a plan view of the newspaper-receptacle. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view through the housing into which the newspaper-receptacle isto be placed. Fig. 5 is a detail showing the transverse partition in the housing upon which the latches for holding the doors in the bottom of the housing are mounted. Fig. 6 is a detail horizontal sectional view taken upon line 96 ac of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a detail side elevation of the ratchet-wheel which controls the rotation of the shaft upon which the swinging arm, which successively contacts the latches, is mounted. This view shows the ratchet-wheel in the condition forpermitting the shorter strokes of the swinging arm as used when vending the thinner newspapers. Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7, but showing the ratchet in condition for vending the thicker newspapers.

Referring to the parts, A is an elongated rectangular casing having on one side a door a, which may be swung open for the purpose of placing therein the newspapenreceptaole B. Bottom a of casing A is open. WVithin casing A is a vertical shallow box C, having an L-shaped notch c and two recesses c c in its upper edge. At one end of the casing is a ledge a (shown at the right-hand side of Fig. 5) and having notches similar to the notches c, c, and c in its upper edge. Between the box C and the ledge a the swinging doors D are mounted. Each of these doors is made of two strips d and d. The strip (1 has pivots cl and (Z which are journaled in the box 0 and the ledge o The strips (1 carry journal-pins (1 d upon which lugs d d, projecting from the strips d, are journaled. WVithin box C a series of latches c are pivoted upon a wire 0 latches a projecting at their lower ends 0 through perforations c in the walls of the box C, to engage the doors D. There is a latch c for each strip (Z (1. These latches have knobs c at their upper ends, which project through the perforations of the wall of the box C in the path of the swinging arm E, the latches being made of a length such that the knobs 0 stand upon a circle whose center is the shaft e, upon which the swinging arm E is mounted.

Upon the opposite end of the shaft 6 from the swinging arm E is a ratchet wheel E, which has in its periphery a series of teeth 6, which are engaged by a pin 6 upon an arm a which is earned by a lever 6 whose end proj ects into a coin-chute 6 as shown in Fig. 7. The shaft 0 is normally under pressure of a spring which tends to rotate it, the rotation being checked by pin e until a coin strikes the lever e and carries the pin 6 out of engagement with a tooth to permit the shaft e to rotate through one step, so that the pin 6 takes into the next tooth. The teeth 0 are made of a size such that the movement of the pin (2 from one tooth into the adjacent tooth permits a rotation of the shaft 6 suflicient to carry the swinging arm E from one latch c to the next adjacent latch, so that when the wheel E is in the conditf on shown in Fig. 7 the successive striking of the lever e by coins will open first the strip (1 and then the strip d of each door D.

To cause each movement of the lever e to open the full door D-that is, to open both strfps d and dratchetwheel E is supplied with a segment E which is pivoted at e to the ratchet-wheel E. This segment is provfded with aserles of teeth 0, which are of a w:' dth equal to the distance between the er ds of the successive teeth e. The notch between the teeth a is the same as that between the successive teeth 6. The segment E is pivoted in a position such that when it is thrown to its outer position, as shown in Fig. 8, the teethe register with two of the consecutive teeth e To render the adjustment of this segment E easy, it is provided witha slot a which engages a stud e projecting from the ratchet 11), a set-screw, and a spring e.

The segment E is held in the position shown in Fig. 8 by set-screw e engaging perforation 6 in the wheel E. The spring a holds the segment E in the position shown in Fig. 7. When the ratchet l1) and segment E occupy the relative positions shown in Fig. 8, each time the'pin is disengaged from the ratchet E the ratchet is permitted to move through a distance equal to twice the space between the teeth 6. Thus both strips d and d of the door are released at each motion of the swinging arm E.

The newspaper-receptacleB consists of end walls I), connected by longitudinal rods 6. Upon the outside of the walls I) are arms N, which have downwardly-proj ecting fingers b Arm b has slots 6 to "lit over studs Arms b are normally held in forward positions by springs I), attached to the walls 5. The newspaper-receptacle is of a length equal to the distance between box C and the ledge 0. When the receptacle is placed within the easing, the fingers 12 pass down into the notch c and the corresponding notch in the ledge a while pins upon the ends 6 pass into the notches c c and the corresponding notches in the ledge (1, The length of the fingers is equal to the width of the neck of the notch c. When the door a of the casing is closed, it contacts the projecting ends of the arms I) and forces the projecting end of the finger b under the projecting lug of the notch 0, so that while the door a remains closed the fingers b lock the receptacle firmly in place within the casing and that when the door a is opened the springs 12 bring the arms 19 to a position such that the receptacle may be readilylifted out of the casing. Atemporary floor for holding newspapers in receptacle B while it is being placed in casing A is provided in frame F, Fig. 2, to be removed as soon as receptacle B is placed in casing A.

Within the newspaper-receptacle are a series of partitions fixed in relation to the ends I). These fixed partitions each consist of a horizontal strip 6 and a horizontal rod 6 and vertical rods b Between the fixed partitions are located sliding partitions which consist of horizontal members 6 I), connected by vertical members 6 The sliding partitions are connected at their opposite ends to sliding horizontal bars B, which are located in horizontal ways B in the ends I) and on which are secured knobs B which project through slots 1) in the ends 6. By movlng the knobs B the movable partitions may be brought to bear against the fixed partitions,

as shown in full line in Fig. 2, or may be moved to occupy a position midway between the fixed partitions, as shown in dotted line, Fig. 2, in either of which positions they may be locked by means of the knob B, which is made in the form of a set-screw.

When the receptacle is placed within the casing, the fixed partitions stand above the pivot-pins d When the newspaper-receptacle is adjusted so that the fixed and sliding partitions stand together, the ratchet-wheel E is adjusted so that the segment E is in its outermost position, and when the movable partitions of the newspaper-receptacle stand midway between the fixed partitions the segment E is in its innermost position, as shown in Fig. 7. The former position is that occu pied by the parts when it is desired to vend a thick newspaper, in which it is seen that the receptacle has fewer but larger compartments and that the full door D is opened at each movement of the swinging arm, whereas in the latter position there are more compartments, but thinner to accommodate the thinner newspaper, and that each movement of the swin ing armE opens but half of the door D, anc thus opens only one of the narrower compartments.

What I claim is 1'. In a newspaper-vending machine the combination of a newspaper-receptacle, a series of partitions in the receptacle made movable relatively to each other, means for moving the partitions to divide the receptacle into a greater or less number of compartments, doors beneath the receptacle and means for opening them an amount which corresponds to the size of the compartments.

2. 1n a newspaper-vending machine the combination of a newspaper-receptacle, a series of partitions in the receptacle made movable relatively to each other, means for moving the partitions to divide the receptacle into a greater or less number of compartments, doors made of sections hinged together pivoted beneath the compartments, latches for supporting the sections and means for releasing one or more of the latches at a time.

3. In a newspaper-vending machine the combination of a newspaper-receptacle, a series of partitions in the receptacle made movable relatively to each other, means for moving the partitions to divide the receptacle into a greater or less number of compartments, doors made of sections hinged together pivoted beneath the compartments, latchesfor supporting the sections, a swing ing arm for engaging the latches, means for imparting a step-by-step movement to the arm and a means for regulating the size of the step-by-step movement of the arm to release one or more latches at each step.

4. A newspaper-receptacle for use in a vending-machine consisting of a frame, a series of fixed partitions in the frame, movable partitions between the fixed partitions, slidceptaole is placed therein and to register with IO ing members mounted in the frame, and the key-seats so that the closing of the door coupled to the movable partitions. l contacts the keys and seats them in their 5. In a newspaper-vending machine the i seats to hold the receptacle firmly in the eascombination of a casing, key-seats formed ing. upon the interior Walls of the casing, a door JOHN A. RULE. hinged to the casing, a newspaper-receptacle, I WVtnesses: sliding keys mounted upon the receptacle so WALTER F. MURRAY, as to project beyond the casing when the re- AGNES MoCoRMAoK. 

